Description
Delightful Duchess Potatoes featuring smooth, buttery mashed potatoes blended with Grana Padano cheese and nutmeg, piped into elegant mounds, and baked until golden and crisp. Perfect as an impressive side dish for special occasions or dinner parties.
Ingredients
Scale
Potatoes
- 500g floury potatoes, chopped
Eggs
- 1 large egg, separated
Dairy
- 30g soft butter
- 30g Grana Padano, finely grated
Seasoning
- Grating of nutmeg
- Salt, to taste
Other
- Vegetable oil, for brushing the tray
Instructions
- Cook the potatoes: Place the chopped floury potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water and cook for 15 minutes until very tender when pressed against the side of the pan.
- Drain and steam-dry: Drain the potatoes thoroughly and leave them to steam dry in the pan for 2 minutes to remove excess moisture.
- Mash potatoes smooth: Mash the potatoes using a ricer or masher until very smooth, then press through a metal sieve to ensure a completely lump-free texture.
- Prepare the mixture: In a large bowl, mix the egg yolk, soft butter, and finely grated Grana Padano cheese. Then add the mashed potatoes, grated nutmeg, and season with salt. Stir well with a spatula until the mixture is smooth, buttery, and comes away from the sides of the bowl, similar to choux pastry.
- Preheat the oven: Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan) or gas mark 7. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and brush lightly with vegetable oil.
- Pipe the potato mounds: Spoon the potato mixture into a piping bag fitted with a wide star nozzle. Pipe 20 walnut-sized peaked mounds evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheet, shaping them like icing on cupcakes.
- Brush with egg white: Beat the egg white with a pinch of salt until slightly frothy. Gently brush the potato mounds to help retain their fluted shape during baking.
- Bake: Bake the duchess potatoes in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until they are golden-brown and crisp on the outside.
Notes
- Using a potato ricer and sieve ensures the smoothest texture without lumps.
- Make sure the potatoes are very dry after cooking to avoid soggy duchess potatoes.
- The egg white brushing helps develop a crisp, attractive crust on the piped potatoes.
- Grana Padano can be substituted with Parmesan cheese if unavailable.
- Serve immediately after baking for the best texture and flavor.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Keywords: Duchess potatoes, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, side dish, elegant potato recipe
